Roses we see in our gardens are products of cultivation and crossbreeding by gardeners over the 5000 years that these colorful plants have been used by man to decorate his home.
The Peace rose, Rosa spp. variety “Madame A. Meilland” is an example of the handiwork of a French rose-breeder during the years 1935 to 1939. Meilland hybridized individuals from two large groups of garden roses: the Hybrid Perpetuals, and the Tea roses.
Multiple species of roses were hybridized to form the Hybrid perpetual group which included Asian species with their tendency to bloom repeatedly and European hybrids that tended to bloom once a year. The Tea Rose group consists of a large collection of hybrids based on Rosa chinensis crossed with R. gigantea. Breeders have enlarged this group by further cross-breeding with other rose groups.
Meilland selected individuals from the hybrid perpetuals and the tea roses to produce the hybrid tea rose we call the Peace rose. As a result, the peace rose is a hardy cultivar that is disease resistant and blooms repeatedly throughout the growing season. Meilland named the rose after his mother.
Hybrid tea roses are a diverse group of rose hybrids produced by rose breeders like Meilland and others. The Hybrid tea rose group is the most popular kind of roses grown by man worldwide.
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